Photos of projects plan checked or inspected by Willdan

News for California Building Departments
Issue 6, April - June 2005

Index to all issues of The Willdan Letter

Important Dates

May 2-6 , 2005	The 42nd Business Meeting, County Building Officials Association of California South Lake Tahoe, CA
May 18, 2005	Building Standards Commission Hearing. Watch the Commission's website for the agenda	www.bsc.ca.gov/cal_evnt.html
June 3, 2005	Building Standards Commission, Seismic Ad Hoc Advisory Group Meeting.	See the Commission's website for the agenda.
June 14-16, 2005	3-day NFPA seminar on the 2005 NEC, San Francisco	See www.nfpa .org for details.
July 1, 2005	Effective date of Government Code section 12955.1 (b) amended by 2003 legislation (SB1025, Chapter 642 of 2003). In non-elevator buildings of covered multifamily dwellings consisting of multistory dwelling units (townhomes), 10% of the dwelling units must be accessible and adaptable as specified.
August 1, 2005	The 2004 California Electrical Code based on the 2002 National Electrical Code becomes effective and enforceable by local government. See training information herein. The new code may be purchased from the ICC online store, various book stores that carry technical books or from its publisher: BNi Publications, Inc, 1-888-264-7483, or through their website.
September 26-30, 2005 (tentative)	CALBO CTI Education Week Concord, CA
October 24-28, 2005 (tentative)	CALBO CTI Education Week Ontario, CA
November 15-17, 2005 (tentative)	CALBO CTI Education Week Modesto, CA

What's Up With The State?

The International Building Code has been selected!!! Based on recommendations of its Coordinating Council, on March 16, 2005, the Building Standards Commission rescinded its July 29, 2003, decision to use the NFPA 5000 Building Code and NFPA 1 Fire Code as the basis for the next edition of California Building Code and California Fire Code. The Commission further authorized the state adopting agencies to begin rulemaking work to adopt the International Building and Fire Codes. No effective dates have been established, but based on the work to be completed and the long public review process before the Commission, a good guess is for effective dates in 2007.

This reversal in code selections began with the Commission's hearing on January 19, 2005, when the state adoption agencies who are members of the Coordinating Council reported on difficulties with the NFPA code adoptions, and that in most cases work had stopped until resolutions are available. The Commission directed the Coordinating Council to immediately meet and come back with recommendations for resolving the impediments to adopting the NFPA codes. The Coordinating Council met on February 8, 22, and March 8, 2005, which resulted in a recommendation to be made to the Commission on March 16, 2005. In short the recommendation was to abandon the work to adopt the NFPA codes because the difficulties were insurmountable and the adoption will not be timely. Dozens of people testified at these meetings, with the majority recommending the adoption of the International Code Council codes over the NFPA codes.

Meanwhile, the Commission continues the work of the 2004 Code Adoption Cycle, including several proposals and amendments by several state agencies to the California Building Standards Code (California Code of Regulations, Title 24), including:

- A complete rewrite of California Building Code Chapter 11A on multifamily dwelling accessibility.
- Amendments to California Building Code Chapter 11B for compatibility with federal access requirements and corrections of technical errors.
- Numerous amendments to the 2001 California Building Code.
- Adoption of the 2003 Uniform Plumbing Code and 2003 Uniform Mechanical Code.
- Amendments to the 2001 California Fire Code.

The commission expects to issue a new monogram and begin the 45-day public review period in late May 2005. Public hearings occur at the end of the public review period. Watch the Commission's website for related announcements.

In another action by the Commission on March 16, 2005, it approved standards previously adopted as emergency standards presented by the Office of the State Fire Marshal pertaining to a bedridden person admitted to, and/or remaining in, a residential care facility housing six or less clients, providing that the facility has obtained the required fire clearance. These standards will be published as updates to the 2001 California Building and Fire Codes.

2005 Legislation of Interest to Building Departments

Senate Bill 1 has been substantially amended since its introduction and, if enacted, will now establish new programs by the Public Utilities Commission and Energy Commission to encourage the use of solar energy systems and, beginning January 1, 2010, require a seller of residential homes in projects of at least 50 production homes to offer the option of a solar energy system.

Senate Bill 40, if enacted as amended on March 30, 2005, will add improved means and alternate penalties when an owner of a mobile home park fails to correct violations when ordered to do so. The appointment of a receiver, liens against the property, and use of penalties to fund the corrections of violations and nuisances are among the proposed improvements.

Assembly Bill 304, if enacted as amended on April 5, 2005, would authorize local government to establish reconstruction standards applicable to existing wood frame multiunit residential buildings where the ground floor portion of the structure contains openings for parking or other uses that cause open weak front wall lines that are potentially hazardous during seismic motion.

Other California bills to watch include: AB 20 amending civil penalties for accessibility violations; AB 260 amending the basis for a fire department's reporting of fires to the State Fire Marshal; AB 83 excluding lakes and manmade swimming lagoons with sand bottoms from building standards; and AB 769 proposing a new penalty for failing to correct substandard housing.

At the Federal level, Congress is considering House of Representative Bill 1131, to be known as the "The Fire Sprinkler Incentive Act of 2005" and similar Senate Bill 512, to provide a tax incentive to encourage the installation of automatic fire sprinkler systems in existing residential rental and non-residential buildings.

2005 Energy Code training dates and location information is available on the Education page on CALBO’s website and at the California Energy Commission’s website.

Something new from IAPMO!!

IAPMO has a new "roll-in" certification program for persons holding plumbing and mechanical code certifications by other organizations. Learn more about this program on the certification page of IAPMO’s website.

For information on free seminars by the NFPA on the 2002 NEC, which is the basis of the 2004 California Electrical Code, see the Education page on CALBO’s website

Did You Know?

Health and Safety Code sections 17922.6 and 17922.7 establish sound transmission standards applicable to the doors, walls and floor/ceiling assemblies in new hotels, motels, apartments and similar multifamily dwellings. Implementing building standards by the Department of Housing and Community Development are located in Division 11A of Appendix Chapter 12, commencing with section 1208A, of the California Building Code (CBC). Local government must enact a similar local ordinance. Plan examiners should be requiring compliance with CBC section 1208A, and inspectors should be verifying compliance with approved plans to limit sound and impact transfers.